This Must End
by Atemusluckygal
Summary: Yami breaks it off with Tea over the most mysterious of reasons. They may be unclear now, but he claims that soon she will understand. Will there be hope of rekindling their loving relationship? Or is it forever lost? YamixTea. Finally complete.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!.**

**Hey everyone, I'm finally out of school for the summer! Sorry about the negligence of my fan fiction profile, I've been way too busy lately with finals and such. I know there are a few unfinished projects that a lot of you are dying for me to finish, but I thought I'd come back with something new, and once I get back into the habit of actively visiting and writing, I'll finish the others. Promise.**

**Anyway, before you flame me for writing something that may at first appear to be anti-Yami/Tea, this isn't a one-shot...it continues. You should know me better than that by now. -_-**

**Enjoy! Remember that there is more to come!**

**Chapter 1**

The wind suddenly began to pick up, carrying leaves of red, orange, and yellow through the air, dancing in the fall breeze, some catching on briefly to brunette hair before fluttering out of sight.

Warm arms wrapped around her torso, so loving, so protective...it made her feel secure, like an impenetrable fortress to keep her safe.

But something was odd about the way he held her, and the way he did not speak. His body felt tense and reluctant, as if he was prepared to disengage their contact at any given moment. Something was drastically wrong. This wasn't like him, not at all – at least, not around her.

"What's the matter?" Tea asked her lover, wanting so much to be deeply entangled in his embrace, as it always had been before. Three months of rapturous romance with the spirit of the Pharaoh did not do much to illuminate his deeply mysterious ways to her. Tea still felt as though she barely knew him, and yet she loved him. And she knew in her heart that, despite what he or anyone might say, he loved her back, even if it were just for those three wonderful months. As headstrong and devious as he may have had to appear to his enemies, he would not play her – that was something she was willing to bet her life on. No, it must have been something else entirely.

Yami gave Tea one final small squeeze before releasing her and taking her by the shoulders. His eyes found hers in tightly-locked contact, and they were not only serious, but saddened and guilt-ridden. He took in a shaky breath.

"Tea..." he barely whispered. "I love you so very much... but..."

Even just the tone of his voice scared Tea, put her on edge, making her mind race through the most disturbing thoughts that she didn't dare consider before. Was he interested in someone else? Was he somehow _seeing_ someone else?

_No, that's impossible_, she thought. _He would never do that to me_.

"But...?" The word hung so uncomfortably in the air, as if it were teetering dangerously over a cliff.

"I... you... we..." he began, seemingly having genuine trouble putting his words together. His eyes fell to the autumn floor before closing, eyebrows curved slightly upwards.

"We cannot be together."

Tea's entire body froze, paralyzing her from head to toe in cold dread. Though his final answer was too abrupt for her to associate his vocalizations to rational thought, she sensed that he had said something she did not want to hear. Her brain had finally processed his words, confirming her premonition and causing even further panic within her mind.

"Wh-why?" she stammered, unable to come up with anything more profound to say. Her eyes searched for his until his gaze finally found hers, though it was quite unsteady.

"Tea, please believe me, this is one of the hardest things I've ever had to do in my life–"

"I don't understand..."

The way Yami's eyes hardened slightly sent a clear message that he wished to continue uninterrupted. She nodded her head apologetically. A small, barely audible "sorry" passed through trembling lips.

"You have brought so much meaning into my life, and you will continue to do so whether you intend to or not. I love you, but this must end. You may not understand now, but hopefully soon you will."

There wasn't a single thing he said that didn't want to make Tea burst into a flurry of tears and broken sobs onto his waiting shoulder. But even then, she knew it wouldn't have the same comforting effect – not anymore. So, she used any inner strength she had to force it down, at least until she was no longer in his presence. With time passing slowly as they continued to stare into each other's eyes with deep remorse, it became increasingly harder to maintain her control over her emotional distress.

Strangely, what puzzled and bothered her was the fact that though he was evidently very distraught, Yami did not seem to have any trouble keeping himself from shedding a single tear. Was his mysterious purpose for severing the relationship, whatever it may have been, greater in relevance than the regret he felt over doing it? Was she just simply not enough for him?

Yami suddenly leaned forward to kiss her forehead. "Please know that none of this is your fault."

All Tea could manage was a small nod in response.

With a shaky voice, he whispered "goodbye, Tea" in her ear. His hands finally detached themselves from her shoulders, causing an empty, icy chill to wash over her body. He turned his back to her, without so much as a final glance in her general direction, before walking away.

Undetected by Tea, the beginnings of tears lined the brims of his eyes as he approached a crosswalk on the way back to the shop. Keeping his head low, he quickly wiped them away with the back of his hand before they had a chance to fall.

-To Be Continued-


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry to keep you all waiting. Lots of stuff happening lately.**

**Enjoy! (Angst warning, just in case anyone is allergic. Precautions, you know.)**

* * *

**Chapter 2**

The walk home from the park was quite surreal, to say the least. As Tea walked the same sidewalks and crossed the familiar street crossings she had known as long as she could remember, it was oddly bewildering to her that it was all still there. It was still downtown Domino City, and everything was still the same as it was before she had been born, before she had met Yami, and before the visit at the park that day. People walked briskly with their suitcases or purses and chatting on their cell phones, involved in their own personal matters, most probably just trying to get home from work, carrying on with life completely oblivious to the turmoil within Tea's heart and mind.

Only Tea knew, and no one else; even Yami could only begin to guess.

Everything was in place in her house, the way it was every day – her father gone, hard at work in the real estate business, her mother on the recliner sipping tea and reading her trashy romance novel with the window slightly open, and of course her 10-year-old basset hound, Charlie, asleep on his rug. Life still carried on, even in her own home.

"Hey dear," her mother greeted her, without removing her eyes from the pages of the book. "How was your day? How's Yami?"

Already feeling as if she were on the brink of emotional self-destruction, she strangely felt that the words "Yami broke up with me" were not adequate enough to try to communicate her apparent sadness to her mom – at least, not now. Her mother, having met her husband at 16 and married by 18, had never experienced nor understood the world of dating and heartbreak resulting from relationships going sour.

"Good," she lied, her voice shakier than she had intended. "Yami's fine."

Though she was convinced her mother wouldn't be the least bit concerned by her daughter's strange behavior as long as she's wrapped in her novel, Tea raced up the stairs to her bedroom before she would even have the chance. Her room was tidy, as it usually was, and yet it seemed so foreign to her; the last time she was in this room, she was completely content with her life and herself, looking forward to each day, especially when she got to see Yami again.

This time, entering the room was Tea. Not Tea, Yami's girlfriend, but just Tea. This new perspective of the world around her, especially the homely space of her room, was both off-putting and quite upsetting.

In fact, the thought of it had finally triggered the start of the tears that had been threatening to fall since the moment Yami ended their relationship. For a moment Tea was frozen, standing awkwardly in the middle of her room, tears raining down her face, feeling so broken she didn't know where to go or what to do with herself. All the while the same questions circulated throughout her mind over and over again:

Why, why, why?

Did she even want to know?

Was she prepared for the answer?

At last, she resolved to sleeping the pain away – for now, at least. As she laid herself down on her bed, a fresh new wave of emptiness and nostalgia swept over her as her hand gripped the soft sheets, as she then remembered – Yami had taken her virginity on this bed. Tea distinctly and fondly remembered that glorious night, her vivid imagination taking her right back to it, allowing her to almost relive it. She gave herself to him, exchanging her innocence for a much deeper connection with him than she had ever hoped for. That was a night of true love between them, she was sure.

Tea frowned. The cold emptiness she felt without Yami by her side made her heavy heart ache severely. She was so overcome by her grief that she was completely startled by her basset hound hopping on the bed to join her. He then proceeded to sniff her face, and began the task of licking her tears away with his large, floppy tongue.

"Oh, Charlie," Tea cooed, patting his head as he rested his head on her stomach. "Sometimes you're a better mom than Mom is." But the old pooch was already fast asleep, as Tea herself gave in to her nagging fatigue.

* * *

The walk home for the other was even stranger than for the first, if possible. Yugi had witnessed the whole encounter with Tea, and was now sharing the pain, sorrow, and regret that his darker half was feeling. There was an awkward silence between them as Yami, in control for the time being, sulked all the way to the Game Shop, not saying a word physically or mentally.

"Yami?" Yugi finally spoke up. There was no answer.

"Yami, are you okay?"

A long silence ensued, when Yami finally responded, "I don't want to talk about it right now."

Yugi sighed. He understood. "Okay. Let me know if you want to talk. I know she meant a lot to you."

Suddenly Yugi felt himself being gently pulled to the forefront of his mind, taking over the vessel while Yami's spirit retreated into the puzzle. Remembering he had homework and chores to do, Yugi grudgingly forced the predicament into the back of his mind and prepared for an evening of work.

Meanwhile, Yami continued to pace the inner chambers of his soul room, feeling inner pain like he never imagined he would feel.

"It's for the best," he kept saying to himself, trying with much effort to suppress his feelings of remorse with justifications. "It's for the best. There's no other way. It's for the best."

Still, the ache nagging at his heart persisted, clouding his mind and thoughts within it. Tea was truly the perfect girl for him, there was no doubt. And yet, he could not continue their relationship. His fiery passionate love for her still burned strong, even now, and there was nothing he could say to himself that would chase away the feeling of regret and sorrow for what he had done...to her. To himself. To them.

He did the right thing – the selfless thing. Yet why does he feel such pain?

A few hours had passed by and Yugi still has not heard from Yami. He began to worry about his dark and question his reasons for breaking it off with the only one he ever had romantic feelings for. Sure, he liked Tea, and oftentimes felt a small pang of jealousy whenever she and Yami were together, but any envious feelings were suppressed by genuine happiness for them. He would never let his own emotions interfere with what was clearly meant to be.

_It has been way too long now,_ Yugi thought to himself. _Better go see if he's okay._

Yugi hopped out of his bed in his soul room and crossed the "hallway" to Yami's closed door. He knocked three times, noticing the door being much colder than normal.

"Come in," he heard a faint voice answer. It sounded as if Yami had used the minimum effort to respond at all.

The young one wandered into the chamber, ready to talk soothing words to the elder, and was stunned with the sudden icy chill that washed over his spiritual body. A low temperature in one's soul only meant that the soul was in great despair, and it both worried and saddened Yugi upon noticing this.

"Are you okay, Yami?"

His dark was pacing the room, arms crossed, looking quite distressed and very involved in his personal thoughts. He found a step from a staircase to sit on as Yugi walked towards him and joined him.

"I'll be fine."

Yugi gave his dark a quite inquisitive look. "Yami, why did you do it?"

Yami's eyes dragged themselves to meet the gaze of his light – empty, blank, and sad. "Do what?"

"You know...end it?"

The pharaoh's eyes fell slightly, staring past Yugi's shoulder, before looking away entirely.

"I felt that I was betraying you."

That response seemed to paralyze Yugi's mind entirely."W-w-what?"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about. I just could not continue with the relationship knowing that I'm hurting you."

Yugi's eyes widened in shock and fear. It was all because of him?

"Yami, you're not–"

"YUGI!" Yami suddenly bellowed, scaring the daylights out of Yugi. "Don't lie to me! I'm hurting you every time I'm with Tea and you know it! I can _feel_ your jealousy every time I touch her...I can _feel_ your envy whenever I kiss her and tell her that I love her! You think you have everything well-hidden from me, but you don't!"

Before he knew it, the back of Yugi's throat started to tremble; sensing tears about to emerge... but he suppressed them. Yami had never had an emotional outburst in his presence like this before; it was obvious he was quite distraught, and Yugi felt as if he were the cause of all his pain. A pang of guilt struck him in the heart as he remembered one specific night for Yami and Tea–one very special night for them both–making love to each other for the first time. Yugi was alert and aware the entire time, and indeed felt the green monster of envy creeping up on him. Finally, he could no longer hold back his tears. Upon noticing this, Yami's expression immediately softened as he put a hand on his soul partner's shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Yugi," he whispered. "I didn't mean to shout at you."

"No," Yugi choked, briskly shuffling out of the chamber. "_I'm_ sorry. I didn't mean to interfere with destiny." He pulled the ice-cold door shut, leaving a brooding pharaoh alone in the dark.

* * *

Awwww...a nice big spoonful of angst. Don't you love it?

Stay tuned for Chapter 3! :D


	3. Chapter 3

**Looks like it's gonna be a four-shot, guys. Though I'm not sure what you would call that, so I guess this has just turned into a short story.**

You'll probably quickly figure it out, but:

_This is Yugi's mental communcation to Yami._

_[And this is Yami's mental communication to Yugi.]_

**I hope you like angst, because more is coming your way!**

* * *

**Chapter 3**

It was well into the early hours of the morning, and Yugi's mind denied him any ability to sleep whatsoever. He continued to pace his own soul chamber, just as Yami had been, lost in thought and neck-deep in despair. Every so often he would crack the door open and glance at the door across from him – the spirit's door. It was always closed, and never a hint of a sound from the other side was heard. He wondered if the pharaoh was asleep; and if he was asleep, was he sleeping easily or with difficulty. Or perhaps he was still awake, pacing, grieving.

Neither of them has spoken a word to each other since he left Yami's chamber last. Though sorely tempted, Yugi never considered visiting his darker half to see if he was alright. He felt that he would be the last person Yami would want to see right now.

And for good reason – it was because of Yugi's selfish emotions that Yami felt that he needed to do the right thing, to inflict pain on both himself and Tea, so Yugi would be happy – so he would no longer have a reason to be jealous. He definitely didn't feel happy – quite the contrary, in fact. He was certain that Yami didn't intend to make him feel guilty about what he had done, but he should have known that it would anyway. He should have known that his happiness was Yugi's, too, and with that he also shares his unhappiness. No matter what the circumstances, that was how it was supposed to be. They shared a vessel, after all.

Yugi finally resorted to getting some shut-eye so he could reasonably function at school in a few hours. Keeping himself awake wasn't going to solve anything, only it could make things considerably worse. Failing the biology test that morning would not help the situation – plus Grandpa wouldn't be pleased. If he could remedy the situation between Yami and Tea, and get a decent grade on the test, the world will be a much more pleasant, and brighter, place.

* * *

"Ahhh man," Joey complained. "She gave me a C...again. I swear Mrs. Higgs hates me or somethin'."

"That, or maybe you didn't study for the test," Tristan suggested, proudly holding up his A- for the group to see. "I like Higgs. She's very kind and forgiving, if you play your cards right."

"Yeah, if by 'playing your cards right' you mean kissing some serious ass."

Meanwhile, Yugi hasn't said a word during the entire conversation, sitting in his desk next to the gang, waiting for class to end, staring at his B- test.

_Well, it's good enough I guess, _he thought. Though his primary focus wasn't really on the biology test at all, he felt somewhat satisfied with what he accomplished with minimal studying and little sleep from the night before. One task down, one to go.

_[Yugi, don't settle for less than what you're capable of],_ Yami's voice preached in his head. _[__You could have easily aced that test.]_

Yugi mentally jumped, surprised that the spirit was talking to him at all, especially after last night. _Whatever, I guess I'll just study harder for the next one._

_[If you're still upset about the situation between Tea and me, I am sorry. You need not worry about me, or Tea. Your happiness, and protection, is my priority.]_

_You forget, Yami, that it works both ways. Why should I be happy about something that makes you _un_happy?_

"Tea, how'd you do?" Joey asked the brunette, who quickly shied away and hid her paper from sight. Unbeknownst to her friends, Tea's emotions were barely stable, her mind racing around and around the conundrum that was her ex-lover's mysterious reasons for ending their relationship.

"Dont worry about it," she muttered quietly, and kept repeating the phrase as Joey continued to bother her about it. Tristan took the opportunity as she was distracted by Joey's pestering to snatch the paper from her hands.

"Whoa, Tea... how did you fail this test?" Tristan exclaimed – a little too loudly.

"TRISTAN!" Tea shouted, regaining possession of her test (with a visibly large red 'F' and some small writing scribbled below it on the front page) and stuffing it in her school bag, grunting angrily as she did so. Yugi looked up from his desk, stunned. Tea had never failed a test her entire life.

"I... well... my mind just went blank, is all," she finally answered, not making eye contact with anyone. "It's just one stupid test. Big deal." Without warning, she felt a lump forming within the base of her throat. Her face began to heat up slightly, and she could no longer delay the loud sniffle to keep the mucus from running down her nose.

"Are you okay, Tea?" inquired Joey, a touch of concern in his tone. "Somethin' goin' on we don't know about?"

Tea had no idea what came over her; all of a sudden she lost control, feeling the emotions she had contained inside for so long had finally burst. "How many times do I have to tell you people? I'm _fine_! _Nothing_ is wrong, got it? Just _leave _me_ alone_!"

The room immediately fell silent. Nothing else was said as Tea roughly threw her schoolbag over her right shoulder and marched out of the classroom, about 30 pairs of eyes watched her as she went. "Miss Gardner, the bell has not rung yet!" yelled Mrs. Higgs, though the teenager was already out of sight. Everyone in the room was in shock – especially Yugi, Joey, and Tristan. Tea had never walked out of class before, either.

After a minute or two of empty silence, the class resumed to idle chatter. Yugi frowned. The sheer guilt he felt within himself grew more intense within the second. This was all happening because of him. Everything. He even caused a straight-A student to fail a test. A hand on his shoulder snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Yo Yug', what's goin' on with her?" Joey asked. "Is she okay? Everything alright with her and Yami?"

Yugi sighed, staring after where Tea had angrily stormed out of the door. "Stuff, Joey. Just stuff. I'll see you guys around."

And with that, Yugi grabbed his schoolbag and dashed out of the classroom in the direction that Tea had gone, ignoring his friends' and Mrs. Higgs's calling for him to come back.

* * *

-TO BE CONTINUED-


	4. Chapter 4

**Well folks, looks like I was able to finally complete this stack of angst pancakes. With buttery confessions and syrupy romance. What else am I gonna do while I'm in jury duty?**

**Read. And review. Please.**

**Also anticipate more chapters of the Yu-Gi-Oh Movie Sequel coming your way...I still have four hours to go.**

Again,

_Yugi's thoughts,_

_[Yami's thoughts.]_

_

* * *

_

**Chapter 4**

The chase continued from the classroom, through several hallways lined with lockers, across the schoolyard, and even continued as both teenagers exited the campus altogether. Tea was so engulfed in her misery and adrenaline rush from running out of the classroom, she didn't realize until her name was called that someone was at her heels. She could recognize that voice anywhere – and though the owner of it was indeed one of her dearest friends, she dared not stop or look back.

"Tea, wait!" Yugi called. His voice was laced with exhaustion from his exertion as the result of running after her for so long. "Please stop!"

_Why, of all the friends I have, did I have to chase the one who was in track during her entire high school career?_ Yugi thought, frustrated at his difficulty in keeping up with Tea as she sprinted further and further from sight. One day, he will have his growth spurt...but until then, he'd just have to take more steps.

The tall brunette persisted in her trek through town, not adhering to the desperate calls for her return all the while. She couldn't; surely if she turned around to see Yugi's kind and pleading expression, she would give in, halt in her tracks, and cry her heart's sorrows into his shoulder. But it simply wasn't right; she just couldn't do it. So she kept running, crying freely now because holding back tears would deplete energy and perhaps split her concentration. And there was no way she could allow herself to tire before finding a place to hide...

Tea's unconscious thoughts must have led her home, judging by the way she spotted her house up ahead, while not remembering planning to go there at all. She just wanted to get away from school, from human contact, and especially from the prison-like confinement of the classroom. She definitely did not want to let her mind wander back to the test she had just failed... a test that was considerably important to her overall grade, no less... and certainly, her mother would _not_ be pleased.

Nevertheless, Tea kept running, continuing towards her house, remaining unresponsive to anything to enter her ears. She saw the door was unlocked and open...without much thought or effort, she pushed the door open and raced inside, not even bothering to stop and close the door to keep Yugi from following her. All that she focused on was just getting to her room which, though still strangely felt different in perspective, was nevertheless her safe haven, when dealing with the world seemed too much to handle.

Tea slammed the door shut without hesitation, leaning on it in exasperation. Her heart and head pounded in her ears, the tears on her cheeks were dry and chilled her face. She had just failed a test, walked out of class, and ran away from her best childhood friend... was the break-up really affecting her to this degree? Was Yami truly worth all this suffering? Judging by the sensation in her heart that destiny had been trifled with... misaligned... she confirmed with regret that it was so. She reflected on all the times she was there for her friends – bringing them up when they were down, giving them hope when it was lost, and helping them find the will to fight on when defeat and failure seemed inevitable. If she could do that for her friends, then why was it that she could not for herself? Why was she all of a sudden afraid of the unknown, something she had reminded her friends time and time again to never fear? Why was the puzzling mystery of why her most passionate and loving relationship ended so abruptly haunting her from the inside out? And finally, why was she also afraid of the answer... if she were ever to receive one?

_Let's face it,_ Tea thought. _When it comes to my own life, I'm a hot mess._

Eventually she became too mentally exhausted to beat these thoughts to death in her mind. She slowly and tiredly dragged herself to her bed, letting her weight sink into the bed and her face in the pillow. The only thing on her mind was the part of her telling herself to stop thinking, and just cry it out.

_Just cry, Tea. Don't think...just cry._

_

* * *

_

_[Yugi please, you mustn't do this,]_ Yami finally said, feeling as though he had allowed enough come to pass. Seeing Tea so inconsolably hurt through Yugi's eyes violently tore his heart in two, and he wasn't sure if he could bear much more. Ignoring his dark's continuous protests, Yugi continued to follow Tea into her house through her front door, only to nearly collide into her mother, of who was standing near the foot of the stairs and beseeching her daughter to tell her what was going on.

"Sorry, Mrs. Gardner!" Yugi apologized, quickly bowing slightly to the startled woman before resuming his pursuit. He climbed the stairs to her bedroom – the stairs that he remembered playing on with Tea when they were children. _Things have definitely changed since then,_ Yugi thought to himself as he reached the top.

Yugi spotted Tea's bedroom door instantly; besides that he was simply accustomed to its location after entering it so many times, it was heavily decorated in stickers, beads, and other door ornaments that made it stand out from all the other doors on the second floor. Though his heart gave a painful and nervous wrench, he continued onward, ready to knock on her door.

_[Yugi, wait.]_

_What? _After ignoring Yami up until this point, Yugi felt as though he owed him the opportunity to voice his objections...before disregarding them again.

_[If you're doing what I think you are, I must ask you to refrain.]_

_No way... you still love her and she still loves you, and since I'm the one that came between you two, I intend to set things straight!_

_[But –]_

_Yami, just shut up, okay? Let me do what I'm going to do. You and Tea belong together and I would be selfish to want to stand in the way._

Yami was in shock – Yugi had never talked to him in such a way before. Never had he been so forthright and demanding! It took him by surprise, no doubt, however he felt in no such position to object to his light's wishes at this point. With this decided in his mind, he remained silent, even as Yugi knocked three times on the brightly-adorned bedroom door.

"Go away, Mom!" a voice shouted through the door.

"Tea? It's Yugi," he gently replied. He considered trying the doorknob, but instead decided not to invade unless invited. It was probably locked, anyhow. "Can we talk?"

There was no answer, so Yugi hesitantly uttered the truthful words he had wanted to reveal to her since he learned Yami's true motive. "Tea, I'm sorry that you're upset, I understand. I wanted to let you know that it was because of me that Yami wanted to end it with you." He paused, lost in the deeply uncomfortable moment. "If you just let me explain..."

A good long 10-second silence almost sent Yugi away, making him believe that he may have upset her further, until the doorknob jostled noisily and the door creaked open, to reveal an extremely emotionally worn-out Tea. "I'm sorry, Yugi. Come in."

* * *

Both teenagers sat on Tea's queen-sized bed as Yugi elaborated the entire situation – including the conversation he had had with Yami. The more he explained, the more Tea's emotionally-tense expression softened with understanding. At the same time, she seemed to become more saddened still when Yugi admitted to her that he had liked her for quite some time, and that Yami knew about it.

"He felt like he was betraying me by courting you knowing that I could possibly be jealous," Yugi said, with a clearly guilty expression on his face. "And it was true... I was jealous for a while. But then I realized that what overshadowed those feelings of envy was true happiness for Yami. I figured that the only one who deserves to have someone as amazing as you would be him."

In the meantime, the spirit of the Puzzle sat in his soul chamber, touched and moved by Yugi's each word admitted to Tea. He felt an enlightenment that he had not experienced in quite some time, if ever. He felt his feelings for Tea suddenly reemerging from the inner depths of his heart after being suppressed for so long, for Yugi's sake, and his own.

_[Yugi, do you really mean everything you said?]_

_Yup, every word. Your happiness is mine, too Yami. Just remember that._

_[You have true heart and courage to go through with this. And for that I thank you, my friend.]_

_Anytime. Don't forget to tell her that you love her._

Inspired and thankful for Yugi's words, Tea then pulled her friend into a tight hug, feeling him return it right away. He patted her back reassuringly, and at that moment, she felt something begin to change – Yugi's body suddenly took on a new shape in her arms; she recognized this change, only this time she could feel the transformation herself. Thin arms turned into toned, strong arms; a small stature became taller and fit. And as powerful, yet soft, hands gently pushed her shoulders back so they faced each other, Tea found herself staring into the sharply defined violet eyes which belonged to no other but Yami.

"Yami..." before Tea could say another word, Yami had entrapped her mouth in a sensuous kiss that derailed any train of thought she had left.

"Tea, I love you so much," he whispered, after they finally broke apart. Yami could feel Yugi's smirk in the back of his mind. "It was wrong of me to do that to you... I'm sorry."

Tea brought a hand to his face, tenderly caressing his cheek. "It's okay, I understand now why you did. You just didn't want to hurt Yugi... Yami I love you more than anything..."

Their lips locked once again, fiery passion burning brightly in each of their hearts. Tea felt her hands wander to the back of his neck, back, arms, and finally pulling his blue uniform jacket off his shoulders. Reciprocating her desires, Yami let her continue until the jacket was completely off and tossed away, before proceeding to undo the buttons on the front of her school uniform.

_How did I know this was going to happen...?_ Yugi mused playfully, fading back into his soul room to give the reunited lovers their deserved privacy.

* * *

-THE END-


End file.
